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Happy Herbivore: Light and Lean Pre-Release Tour

As many of you know, I am completely obsessed with Happy Herbivore books and recipes and that I have used them in the past to get healthy and feel better. Now I stick with them to keep my weight in check and a constant stream of healthy food into my body. These books also use every day ingredients that you can easily find at the grocery store and don’t have any complicated steps required to make. I was able to pick up her book with no cooking experience at all and make healthy delicious food for myself!

A week ago I found out that Linsday Nixon (author of Happy Herbivore books, and owner of happyherbivore.com and getmealplans.com) would be doing a pre-release blog tour for her new book and I jumped at the opportunity to be involved! Each day during the pre-release Lindsay will be visiting a different blog to talk about her new book and answer questions from the bloggers.

Today, I am pleased to announce, the tour is stopping by my blog! I got a chance to do a quick interview with Lindsay and was given permission by her publisher to post a new recipe from the book right here on the blog. I am so happy that Lindsay had a few minutes to do a quick interview with me and that I have this opportunity to be a part of the pre-release!

And now for the interview:

Jill: First of all, I just want to say that I am a huge fan of your work and appreciate you taking the time to answer a few questions for my blog. Your book “Happy Herbivore Cookbook” was there to help me out during a time when I had health issues and nobody knew what was wrong. Your recipes helped me feel better and without that I’m not sure where I’d be right now. Thank you very much! Now on to the questions… What can you tell my readers about your new book?

Lindsay: Aww thank you! I’m sorry to hear you went through some health issues, but I’m glad you’re feeling better!

As for my new book, Happy Herbivore Light & Lean is… awesome. I know, I sound so bias but I’m really, truly, in love with this book. First the recipes are incredible and true to my easy, healthy, no fuss style. The big difference with this book is the recipes center on the principal of caloric density: more food, less calories. So every recipe in the book is not only a nutritional superhero, it’s also extremely satisfying but mindful of calories. And because the book is called Light *and Lean* I’ve also included “recipes” for your body. Great exercises you can do right at home in a spare 5 minutes and without fancy equipment or weights. Any person with any body and level can do the exercises. It’s just a great way to start looking great, as well as feeling great too (which is most important!) It’s a whole body approach cookbook—I love it!

Jill: Each of your books has a theme. What inspired you to write about fitness for your current book?

Lindsay: Two years ago I started offering meal plans (getmealplans.com) using my recipes. Every week my clients receive a new menu with a shopping list and recipes. I quickly realized that most of my clients were doing the meal plans to lose weight and get healthy, so I started focusing more on calories to meet their budgets. Of course I didn’t want my clients to feel deprived, so I was always looking for ways I could make really big, satisfying portions, but without breaking the calorie bank. I’ve learned quite a lot since then, fell in love with the concept of caloric density, and really tried to celebrate it in this cookbook. I’m not using the meal plan recipes in the book (they’re exclusive to the meal plan) but it’s the same concept. I also used to be a personal trainer and thought exercise was a great companion to the lighter recipes.

Jill: What really drew me to your books originally was the giant “LOW FAT AND FAT FREE” on the cover. At the time I discovered your books I did not know that my gallbladder was pretty much nonfunctional, making it very difficult to digest fats. When I cooked your recipes I felt better. A lot of other vegan cookbooks on the market have recipes loaded with oil. What lead you to decide to create low fat and fat free recipes?

Lindsay: I follow a low-fat, no added fat, no oil diet for my health (following the advice and teachings of Dr. McDougall, Dr. Esselstyn, and many others). The recipes reflect how I eat and cook. I started my blog in 2007, and writing recipes, because I couldn’t find any vegan cookbooks that were low fat or oil-free. Now I have mine to cook from :)

Jill: And because every interview needs an oddball question- Do you have a favorite TV show? I obsess over new TV shows every fall and I’m dying to know if you are watching anything currently.

Lindsay: Ha! I live in Los Angeles so I would be…socially awkward ;) if I didn’t watch TV. LOL! That and many of my friends are in the industry and on certain shows, so I watch a lot of them just to be supportive and see my friends on TV. I’m probably most looking forward to The Walking Dead, and curiously, that’s one of the few shows I don’t have personal connections to.

Jill: Thank you very much Lindsay for taking the time to stop by and answer a few questions. I’m looking forward to the book’s release!

I absolutely love Lindsay’s enthusiasm for what she’s doing. You can see it in all of her books and see it in the way she describes her work. Her latest book is scheduled to be released on December 3rd, but rumor has it that if you preorder it on Amazon that the book may come several weeks early!

Even if you aren’t a vegan, but you are interested in eating healthier, you should check out any of the Happy Herbivore books. I have cooked these recipes for many carnivores and have heard nothing but compliments. The food is so delicious that people will forget that it isn’t made with any animal products! And if you are looking to lose weight I really can’t recommend these books enough. In my journey I have lost 18 lbs and have so far been able to keep it off. The results are easy to see.

As part of this pre-release, I was given the opportunity to post a new recipe from the upcoming book. I had a few to choose from, but I chose this muffin recipe because I love baking the most and sharing the food I make with friends and family. If you see me every day, expect to be trying these muffins sometime soon!

Blueberry Yogurt Muffins

Makes 12

Soy-free, Fat-free, Quick

If I had to pick a favorite kind of muffin, I think blueberry muffins would be it for me. With their hint of lemon, these muffins make me think of sunny, relaxed mornings. I also love that they’re made with vegan yogurt (a boost of protein!) and very little sugar.

2 c white whole-wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

pinch salt

¼ c raw sugar

1 ripe (spotted) banana

½ c vanilla nondairy milk, divided

6 oz vegan yogurt (plain, vanilla, or blueberry)

¼ c unsweetened applesauce

1 c blueberries (thawed, if using frozen)

3–4 tbsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line muffin tin with paper or silicone cups or use a nonstick pan, and set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. In a small food processor or blender, whiz banana with 1⁄4 cup nondairy milk until silky smooth. Stir into flour mixture, then add yogurt, applesauce, and remaining nondairy milk. Stir a few times, add blueberries and lemon zest, and stir gently, folding in blueberries, until just combined. Spoon into muffin cups and bake 15–20 minutes or until muffins are golden, firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Per Muffin

Calories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Fat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8g

Carbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.6g

Fiber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9g

Sugars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8g

Protein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5g

WW Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Thank you again Lindsay and Lindsay for your time and this opportunity. Once again, the book will be released in stores on December 3rd. I am hoping to get my hands on a copy early and give a full review of it in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!